AFRPR 15

Episode 15

Estelle quickly wiped the corner of Duren’s mouth with wide eyes, clearly startled.
Her touch was full of care.

“It’s okay. Throwing up means you’re getting better.”

Without complaint, Estelle cleaned the sheets and Duren’s clothes, which had gotten dirty.

“Duren, you said you wanted to go home, right? From now on, this is your home.”

“Can’t I go back to my old home?”

“No, it’ll be hard. But think of this place as your new home. With a new family.”

“…”

“Me, Pippin, Riley, Benjamin, James, Sophia…”

Estelle listed the names of the servants Duren had recently grown close to.

“And the Duke of Winterlen.”

“…”

“All of us will be your family.”

“Family…”

“Yes, family.”

Estelle said the word “family” a little awkwardly.

“A family is someone who comforts you when you’re sick and stays on your side when things are hard.”

“…”

“No matter what happens in the world, your family will never betray you.”

She spoke softly, gently, and gave Duren a reassuring smile.

For some reason, that face stuck clearly in Duren’s mind that night.

* * *

The next day.

Duren had trouble sleeping during the night, so he only fell asleep in the morning and woke up around noon. Still sleepy, he received a check-up.

“His fever’s gone, and the indigestion has improved a lot,” said the doctor after examining him.

The doctor pressed gently on Duren’s upper belly.

“Does it hurt?”

Duren shook his head.

“If he feels uncomfortable again, give him the digestive medicine I prescribed, and just watch his diet for a while. I’ll write down a list of foods to avoid.”

After the check-up, the doctor stood up.

“Isn’t it great you’re not sick today?”

“Yeah!”

Duren nodded cheerfully at Estelle’s question.

Everyone was relieved that it wasn’t anything serious.

The servants, who had been listening with Estelle, let out sighs of relief after seeing Duren look better.

“Madam, it’s all my fault,” said the head chef suddenly.

“It was my mistake for not locking the kitchen. I’ll be more careful from now on, I swear on my own wrist.”

“No! Head chef, it’s not your fault. I should’ve been more careful.”

“No, Madam! It’s my fault!” others chimed in.

Everyone started claiming the blame for Duren’s sickness.

It was clear that not just Estelle, but all the servants had been worried about him.

Then Riley, a maid, knelt down.

“It’s my fault more than anyone else. I was in charge of the young master under your orders. If I’d been more careful, he could’ve been treated sooner.”

“Riley! It’s not your fault. Please stand up.”

“Even small illnesses can be dangerous to children. I failed to protect the heir of Winterlen. Please punish me as you see fit.”

Estelle tried to stop her, but Riley was determined.

The others all watched with worried expressions.

Duren still felt distant from these people.

He didn’t feel as close to them as he did to Estelle.

But… at least he could tell they wouldn’t hurt him.

Hop.

Duren got off the bed.

“Young master, please rest! You’re still not fully well!”

A voice of concern came out, but Duren firmly walked over to Riley.

And then—

Bonk.

He lowered his head a little too much and bumped into her chest, then fell right into her arms.

His chubby cheeks, tiny nose, small lips, and those round eyes that seemed to say, “Why aren’t you petting me?”

“Young master…”

Riley forgot all about proper manners and hugged him tightly.

And Duren didn’t resist.

He didn’t run away.

Because now, they were all his family.

* * *

It had already been over a month since Estelle came to Winterlen.

In that time, Lennox had been traveling—not only within Winterlen, which was full of monsters, but all over the empire.

“P-Please! Aaaaagh!”

Since returning to the past, he had three goals:

1. Recruit useful people.
2. Get rid of anyone in his way.

“Spare me, please!”

Even now, a man lay crying at Lennox’s feet.

A blade gleamed threateningly in front of him.

“I have a family! You’re married now too—you must understand how important family is!”

The man begged with tears and spit flying.

“If you cared about your family, you shouldn’t have been making fake accounting books.”

“…!”

“You stabbed me in the back, and now you’re asking for mercy?”

“How did you find out… Argh!”

Lennox had died once before.

That’s how he knew everything now.

He stepped on the man’s hand with his boot.

Just as the man was about to lose all hope—

“I’ll give you one chance.”

“R-Really?!”

A lifeline appeared.

“You’ll take over accounting for House Bellonsa. Create fake records, embezzle their money, and help them evade taxes.”

“B-Bellonsa family…? The earls?”

“Yes. You’ve done it before, so it should be easy.”

His third goal:

Set the stage for House Bellonsa’s downfall.

The man at his feet had real skill—Lennox hadn’t caught him until much later in the past.

So the Earl of Bellonsa wouldn’t notice his wealth slowly disappearing either.

“If you understand, get up.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much! I’ll never forget this kindness!”

Before Lennox could change his mind, the man ran away.

Watching him, Lennox gave his servant an order:

“Follow him. If he tries anything stupid, get rid of him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Since returning to the past, Lennox had already investigated everyone in House Bellonsa—including Vera, who went abroad to study.

All that was left was to watch them slowly fall into the trap.

“Also, Duke, a letter arrived from Sir Pippin.”

“Give it to me.”

Pippin was a competent assistant.

He usually handled everything on his own.

So if he sent a letter, it probably had to do with Estelle.

Before leaving, Lennox had told him to report anything suspicious she did.

What could she have done now?

Was she already whining about divorce?

With that thought, Lennox opened the letter—

And cursed aloud.

“What the hell?”

He wondered if he’d suddenly developed dyslexia, and read it several more times.

But the content didn’t change.

Either he was crazy, or Pippin was.

The letter was full of criticism about Lennox.

“How could you treat Lady Estelle like that?!
Please cancel your order to mistreat her!
Lady Estelle does not deserve such treatment!”

The letter made it hard to tell whether Pippin worked for Lennox or Estelle.

It made no sense.

Pippin had never betrayed him, not in the past, not in the future.

‘What has that woman been up to while I was gone?’

Estelle was more than capable of causing trouble.

He remembered the results of the background check he’d ordered on her.

Name: Estelle Bellonsa
Birth mother: commoner
Father: unknown
Entered the Bellonsa family when her mother married the count.
After her mother’s sudden death, she was married off while still a minor.

‘That part’s normal enough.’

No one could’ve guessed she’d become the wealthiest heiress in the empire.

‘Her third marriage—didn’t they make her get a body check before the wedding?’

They made sure Estelle was healthy before letting her into the bridal chamber.

But her third husband still ended up dead.

‘That husband was William Rowland.’

He had ties to a baron who owned land where Mandrake plants grew.

So Estelle might’ve really gotten Mandrake information from him.

‘She inherited not just money, but land too. That could explain it.’

Her other husbands didn’t have any ties to that baron.

Her fourth husband, Helios Croizen, ran off to live at a temple.

So William was the most likely source.

Lennox had thoroughly investigated Estelle—

Even the size of her ring finger.

But he still didn’t understand who she really was.

“If investigations won’t work, then I’ll find out with my own eyes.”

He didn’t care if she really killed her husbands or how.

What mattered was this:

She managed to win over even his most loyal subordinate.

If her beauty could sway someone like Pippin—

Then it was time to see just what kind of woman she really was.

And with that, Lennox made his next destination clear:

Back to the manor.